Teach Me To Love
by Nashida
Summary: I never knew what love was until you showed me. And all it took was for me to get Abandoned. Axel x OC. Rating is just to be safe.
1. Abandoned

I need to just stop and settle on one story. Seriously. This is maybe the third one I've thought of. I like the idea of this one, though, so I plan on finishing it.

Disclaimer: I do not own KH or any of the characters or places mentioned therein. Those belong solely to Squeenix and Disney.

Summary: I didn't know what love was until you showed me. And all it took was for me to get Abandoned. Axel x OC.

* * *

The cold rain stung his face as he continued walking down the sidewalk. He hated weather like this. This was nothing like he had experienced on his missions. This was seriously cold stuff. He wondered if it could kill him; he'd never been in it before.

He had pulled his hood up over his fiery red hair in an effort to shield him from the freezing downpour, but it was in vain. The poor weather had already soaked through his black trench coat, chilling him to the bone.

He was worried about his own internal temperature as well right about now. He used to joke around with Demyx and Roxas that a fever for him was well over 200 Fahrenheit. His average was probably around 180 for a fire element; right now he guessed it had dropped to somewhere in the hundred-teens. Any lower, he decided, and he might have some problems. He couldn't even light a small fire in the palm of his hand, he was so cold.

He raised his hand, trying to flag down one of the many passing cars. Maybe someone would be kind enough to stop and let him climb inside to dry off and warm up. The complete opposite happened; they either ignored him or some would swing close and drive through a puddle, splashing him and soaking his clothes even more.

His entire body gave a violent shiver in a desperate attempt to warm itself. What had he done to deserve this? His mind traveled back to the events of the day:

_

* * *

_

_Xemnas had announced earlier that day he was going to be away for a few months for some research about the Heartless in the surrounding worlds. While he was away, he was appointing Vexen the Superior until his return. This would give Vexen every last power he had as Superior._

_Axel swore he had never seen Vexen grin in such a way in his entire…Nobody life. He thought it best to just stay away from him, lest he remember what he __**almost**__ did to him._

_He had done his best the entire day just to keep himself out of Vexen's line of sight and avoid any sort of contact. Maybe if he kept away from him long enough, he'd forget about everything that happened._

_He had barely rounded a corner when he heard "Ah, Axel. There you are."_

_Something inside Axel seemed to freeze and crash through to the floor when he heard his name being said by the voice of the man he had worked so hard to evade._

_Axel forced himself to turn around and face Vexen. "You were looking for me?" he asked almost hesitantly. _

"_Yes. Please come with me."_

_Axel followed behind him, afraid of what was going to happen next. He found himself being led into a room that looked somewhat like a conference hall; not the Great Hall he was most familiar with. Marluxia, Larxene, Roxas, and Demyx were there with him._

"_So….what's going on in here…a meeting?"_

"_If you want to call it that, yes," he said in a voice that seemed almost icier than usual. He drummed his fingers on the table and firmly stated "I'm thinking about having you Abandoned."_

_Axel tried to stifle the gasp that passed his lips; the rest did nothing to make sure theirs weren't heard. Being Abandoned is the worst fate next to death that can befall any Nobody. The Superior in charge at the time of Abandonment forces the Nobody being Abandoned to leave and be sent to a place of the Superior's choosing. The place is usually one that conflicts with the Nobody's element to make them weaker, eventually killing them if they are unfortunate. Even if they do live, they are never allowed to return._

"_If this is about Axel trying to kill you, I already told you I had told him to do it!" Marluxia shouted."And he didn't even go through with it!"_

"_But he would have, and that makes him dangerous. I can't allow him to live under the same roof as the rest of us knowing he's more than capable of doing it again. And who knows who will be the target next time."_

"_You know Axel wouldn't do that!"_

"_There's no use in standing up for him, Larxene. I've already made my decision. He leaves tonight."_

"_But….but…give him another chance."_

"_He had another chance before I got word of his plans to kill me. I think he's wasted it. He leaves tonight. No exceptions."_

_Two hours later Vexen opened the portal that would send Axel to his new "home". The rest of the Organization had gathered to see him off, many of them surprised that Vexen would stoop to such a level. _

_Axel approached the portal then turned around to get one last look. Many had looks of despair, wondering if this would be the beginning of the end for the rest of them, should they all get Abandoned before Xemnas managed to return. _

_A closer look showed that Larxene had tears streaming down her face. He swore it was the first time he had ever seen the Savage Nymph cry. Roxas and Demyx looked just as upset._

"_Get going," Vexen ordered with a sneer. Axel turned to glare at him, then with one last look as a way to say "farewell," he stepped into the portal. Within seconds he was gone._

* * *

'_Nothing,' _he thought. _'I did absolutely nothing to deserve this.'__

* * *

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­_"Goodness, what horrible weather," said a woman in her mid forties while looking out the window at the ever increasing downpour. "It's knocking the leaves right off the trees." 

She turned to her son, a much younger boy who was the splitting image of her. "Go downstairs and check the pump, or we'll be flooded and forced to vacuum it all up." He nodded and quickly disappeared to do what was asked of him.

She continued her work, preparing dinner, alongside her much older daughter. Unlike her son, she was an exact copy of her father, save for her trim figure and long brown hair compared to his short, curly, afro-like hair. She had just finished college and was now working as a teacher's aide at the elementary school in town. She still lived with her mother because her father had passed away years ago, and she needed to help care for her younger brother. She didn't mind it, herself; she barely had enough as it was to rent an apartment, let alone move out.

The rain hammered a little harder against the windows. The daughter looked up. "I'd feel terrible if anyone was caught outside in that."

"I hope no one's stupid enough to do that," the mother said plainly.

"Mom, you're being insensitive."

"I'm stating a fact, Jenna."

The younger boy ran back up the stairs. "The pump wasn't even on, so I fixed it. The hole's fine too, and the hoses."

"Thank you Joel. I really didn't want to have to camp out downstairs like we did the last time."

"Me either. When's dinner?"

"Not for awhile, now shoo." He went into the living room and turned on the TV, sitting near the window. He put his hand on the glass. "It's cold…"

"It's a cold rain, let's hope it doesn't freeze anything," the mother chuckled.

'_Or anyone,' _the girl couldn't help adding.

* * *

Axel wanted to give up. There was no use trying anymore. He was attempting to dry himself off by ducking underneath overhangs, but he kept getting shooed away. "Go someplace else, you punk," they called to him. So far he'd been chased away from two gas stations, a discount store, and a bar.

His arms wrapped around his body as he continued walking. He felt cold, weak, and tired. He wished he could just stop and rest somewhere, but he was afraid of being shooed again.

He looked up from the ground and saw he had entered a sort of cul-de-sac. Maybe someone here would let him just stay under an awning until the rain passed. He went towards the house with the biggest roof and approached the stairs.

'_Please,' _he begged. _'Just let me stay right here. That's all I ask.' _He settled down under the awning by the stairs, leaning up against them. His whole body was still shaking and shivering as he curled up against the wall. At least he was out of the rain at last. He pulled his hood down lower and tried to keep every last inch of him inside his long coat.

* * *

"Momma," the young boy said from the living room, "there's a strange guy outside. I saw him come up the driveway."

"Are you sure it wasn't the reflection from the TV?" she asked him.

"Uh-uh. He walked right up the driveway and disappeared behind the stairs. He's in all black."

"I'll go take a look," Jenna offered. "If I have to, I'll scare him off."

She walked into the breezeway and peeked out the window. Sure enough, there was a big black lump lying up against the stairs.

She opened the door. "Hey! What do you think you're doing down there?" She got no reply. "Hello?" she asked, moving a bit closer, but very carefully.

She got to the bottom of the stairs and came a bit closer. She reached out and touched him. "You're ice cold….who are you?"

She reached up for his hood and slowly pulled it back. She was greeted by a pair of vivid green eyes and a flurry of red hair. She let out a gasp.

"Mom! Make some extra room and get another set of clothes, and quickly! It's one of those guys from the Organization! The fiery one! And he's freezing to death!"

* * *

Well, there you go. I'm working on the second chapter as we speak, so we'll get to continue regardless of reviews.

That doesn't mean you shouldn't leave a comment or review of course…please do?


	2. Adopted

I have a headache…ugh….. What a most cruel and unusual punishment. Oh well. Just enjoy the fic. Don't worry about me; I'll be fine.

Disclaimer: I still don't own KH II.

* * *

"Can you stand?" Jenna asked him, cradling his chin gently. "Can you move at all?"

Axel would've blushed at her touch had he not been so cold. He shook his head no. He opened his mouth to say something else, but found he was without a voice. He shook his head no again.

"Okay, then. Hang on." She draped one of his arms around her shoulders, and then lifted him up so he was standing, yet leaning on her for support. "We're going to dry you off and get you warmed up; you shouldn't be this cold for someone who wields fire." She guided him up the stairs and into the house.

"Don't worry, you'll be okay now," she soothed. "We're nice. We won't hurt you. You look like you've had enough already."

"Do you have him, honey?" her mother called from inside.

"Yeah, can you help me? He can barely stand up, the poor thing. I'm going to take him into the bathroom and give him a rubdown to dry him off; he's soaked through and through. Can you see if you can find him some clothes to change into?"

"Sure thing." Axel got a good look at the girl's mother. She was a pleasantly plump woman, and probably a whole head shorter than her daughter. She took his other arm and helped get him to the bathroom. "He's shaking like a leaf."

"I know…maybe I'll give him a hot bath when he gets out of those wet clothes of his…bet that would feel good, huh?"

Axel weakly nodded yes. A number of things were running through his head; how she knew he was from the Organization, for starters.

When they got to the bathroom they shut the door, then the mother held Axel gently while Jenna proceeded to peel his clothes away. They unzipped his trench coat first, heavy and soaked with rain.

"Just a tank top underneath that…shame on you. No wonder you got so cold," she scolded. "Well, off with that anyways." She helped him pull it off, with great difficulty. "It's like it's stuck to you."

His boots, pants, and anything else soon followed, and the only thing keeping Axel from being completely naked in front of these women was a towel around his waist.

Jenna seated him on the edge of the bathtub. "I'm going to need to steal that from you."

"No, here's another towel to dry him off with, let him keep that one. He'll show you his member when he's ready," the mother teased.

Now Axel flushed, the girl turning an almost similar shade of crimson. "Mom!"

"Just give him a hot bath after drying him off. I'll see if I can find something for him to wear. These will have to tumble dry and then go in front of the stove for a while," she said, looking down at the rain drenched coat. "Don't ask to see 'him'," she said with a laugh, then shut the door.

"Ugh…can't stand her sometimes…" She took another towel and started rubbing him with it, starting at his head and working down. She rubbed in circular motions, and Axel could feel the warmth slowly returning to his body. He gave her a smile through the towel.

"Much better than being outside, huh?" she asked the viridian eyes peeking at her through the gap. "Stand up for a second." She rubbed down his torso and chest, arms and legs, and gave the towel around his waist a small rub as well. "Feel better?"

He nodded again, a much wider smile on his face. He wished he could thank her, but he somehow still couldn't find his voice.

"Not much of a talker, are you?"

Axel pointed at his throat. _'I lost my voice,' _he tried to tell her.

"Oh, oh I see….you must've caught something and now you've lost your voice…"

'_Well, not really…I think? Well, let's just go with that. I really wouldn't know myself.'_

She reached behind him and turned on the faucet, letting hot water fill the tub. "Let this fill up for a while, and you can shut it off when it's full enough for you. And here's a washcloth if you want to clean yourself. I think you'll be all right on your own, right?"

She opened the door and started to leave, but Axel latched onto her pant leg, shaking his head.

"You don't want me to leave…what about privacy? You don't…."

He shook his head again.

"Well…all right. I guess the last thing you want right now is to be left alone, after everything you've been through. Let me go get you something warmer to wear once you're done, and I'll come right back." She caressed his cheek with her hand as she left him. Axel leaned his face into her palm as a way of saying thanks, enjoying her touch.

* * *

Jenna heard a gentle splash as she shut the door; he must have decided to get in while the water was still running. She smiled gently as she went off in search of something for him to wear.

"I wonder why the Organization's here," she heard her mother ponder. "I don't think we have anything they want…no Heartless….no nothing."

"Mom, I think he was Abandoned," Jenna told her. "You saw how weak he was. He wouldn't have come here on his own accord. White City's way too cold for a fire element, so he would know better than to just show up randomly. He had to have been dumped here. That's the only explanation I have."

"Then be careful around him, honey. Whatever he did to get them mad must not have been good, and I don't want you to get hurt because we're suddenly fostering a felon."

"He won't hurt me, I know it. I think he's finished with them and wants nothing more to do with them."

"How can you be so sure?"

"When I left him in the bathroom, I let my hand brush along his cheek, and he leaned his whole face into it. I think he just wants to know he can feel safe here. He's been through enough and wants someone he can trust, and thinks that he's found it here. He knows I won't hurt him, so maybe he won't hurt me."

The mother said nothing more as she placed fresh clothes in her daughter's hands. "You're being ridiculous, mom. He won't hurt us."

She got no reply.

* * *

"Hem. Hem-hem. A-Hem." Axel was still trying to figure out why he had no voice. If he couldn't talk, things were going to be rather interesting around here. He thought nothing more of it and sank further into the bath. That girl was right. It did feel good.

He heard light knocking on the door. "It's me," he heard the familiar voice call out. He tried to tell her to "come in", but resorted to "ahem"-ing her instead.

"I'm closing the curtain on my way in," she told him. "You may not like privacy but I do." She pulled the shower curtain closed and rested his new clothes on the counter before closing the lid on the toilet and pulling out a magazine.

Axel made another coughing noise. Maybe this time…. "I want…. to know…"

"Look who's got his voice back."

Axel felt a small ounce of triumph. "I want to know how you knew what I was. Everything."

"We heard about the Organization from the surrounding towns. You guys always strike Hollow Bastion and Radiant Garden, but you've never hit White City."

"White City? Is that where I am now?"

"Mm-hmm, best known for the cold weather and the fact that it rains almost every day except for the winter."

"…What's different about winter?"

"It snows."

Axel growled. "Thanks Vexen…."

"Vexen? Is he the one who Abandoned you?"

"Yes."

"Why? What did you do?"

Axel sighed. "I didn't do anything, that's the problem. He's got some grudge against me for something I tried to do to him under orders from another member. I never went through with the order, but he still refused to forgive me." He started washing himself with a washcloth.

"You're….Axel, right? The Flurry of Dancing Flames?"

"That's me."

"Just making sure. I know your name, but I've never seen you before today, so…"

"I get you." He lifted his foot out of the water and flexed his toes, happy to get the feeling back in them. "You want to put a face to a name. Totally fine."

"I thought you'd be offended. Thank goodness you aren't." She closed her magazine and put it down. "I left you some clothes you can wear for now; we'll go shop for you tomorrow or something."

"I thought you said you'd keep me company?"

"Do I have to watch you dress, too?"

Axel flushed. "Well….no."

"Then I'll wait for you out in the living room. I think you'll be fine on your own." She left, and then closed the door gently to stop a draft from blowing in and chilling him.

'_I wonder…'_ He raised a hand, focused on it, and within minutes lit a small fireball in his palm. He smiled. _'Good to be back…'

* * *

_

Axel emerged from the bathroom a few minutes later dressed in a grey hooded jacket with a black tank underneath, and black jeans. It would have to do for now, they told him. He certainly felt much warmer than when he had first arrived.

The smell of something delicious wafted through the air and past his nose. Axel felt his stomach rumble; a sensation that threw him off guard. Back in the Organization, they had eaten for pleasure. None of them had ever felt hunger. Feeling it now was….awkward.

"Dinner will be ready soon," the girl's mother told the nearly drooling Axel gently. "And Jenna's in the other room."

He quickly went in there and found her lounging on a sofa, reading a book. She looked up when she sensed his presence behind her. "How are the clothes?" she asked.

"Kinda baggy," he said, tugging at the sweater. It pulled out to about a foot away from his body. "They're huge."

"They used to be my father's, that's why."

"Ah, I haven't seen him yet. Where is he?"

When Jenna lowered her head sadly he quickly regretted asking that question. _'Smooth….way to hit a touchy topic.' _

"Her father passed away ten years ago," her mother explained from the kitchen.

"Oh….I see." Axel looked away, refusing to make eye contact. He found it impossible to look at her face without feeling a hard lump in his throat.

"Forget about it," she said.

There was silence between them. Axel gently settled himself at the other end of the couch. He wanted to say something more to her but couldn't find it in himself to utter a single word. When he finally found the courage to open his mouth again her mother called out "Come to the table; dinner's ready."

* * *

'_Don't overindulge…' _Axel warned himself as he joined them at the table. But when he saw the food set out in front of him, his eyes were almost as big as his stomach. There was a hot roast, potatoes, squash, dinner rolls, and fresh green beans.

"Help yourself, there's plenty here," Jenna told him. Axel couldn't help but take a little bit of everything, he was just starving. He blushed a little, slightly embarrassed.

"Don't be shy about it. It's fine."

Axel gave a small shrug as he found his place at the table. He was seated between Jenna and a new face; a smaller, younger boy.

The boy looked up at the amazing flurry of red hair. "Do you stick your thumbnail in a socket to get it like that?"

"Joel!" both mother and daughter shouted. Axel was trying to hold back a laugh and was failing rather miserably.

"No, no…it's natural." He bent his head down a little. "You can touch it if you want."

Joel reached a small hand upward and gently petted the fiery locks. "It's soft…"

Jenna couldn't help but reach over and give his hair a pat as well. "Wow…at first glance, y'know…it doesn't look like it should be soft like that…"

Axel pouted. "Great. I'm the family pet now. Thanks guys." He then donned a grin on his face, making the boy laugh.

"You're so funny!" He looked to his mother. "Can he stay mom, please? I like him!"

Axel sank a tad lower in his chair, feeling the same lump from before get lodged in its usual spot. He knew this question was going to pop up sooner or later. Now he was literally counting the seconds until he was thrown back outside.

He saw Jenna too had joined in begging, and seriously wanted to hide.

"Please, mom? Don't put him back out there, he'll freeze."

There was silence before Axel heard the most unlikely phrase escape her mother's lips:

"He can stay."

* * *

Aww….Axel's got a new home now…how sweet.

This time around I want at least 3 reviews before I put up the next chapter…I wanna know what I'm doing wrong (if anything) and what you guys like, I love hearing from you!


	3. Adored

Thanks for the reviews guys, I really love hearing from you all. Here's what you had to say:

**RainKitty: **Glad you think so. And yes, I'll continue the "awesomeness".

**Draconic-Master: **It is a fun idea, huh? Oh. Vexen will e back in the near future; I do have something more planned for him...heheheh.

Also thank for all the story alerts. I didn't think this would get as much attention as it did.

Now on to the chap!

Disclaimer: There's no Axel in my closet. I guess I still don't own KH. Damn.

* * *

Home. That's what they called it. This place was his home now. It felt….strange. 

Before, Castle Oblivion was his "home". Well, more specifically, "a place of residence". It was someplace for him to stay, someplace that gave him a roof over his head.

Here, it was different. It was like Castle Oblivion in a sense, but it did something that the Castle didn't. It made him feel safe, comfortable. He felt like he was welcome here, with a sort of warmth that The Land That Never Was didn't exactly have either. He felt l……l….lo...

'_Damn, what's the word again?' _

Axel couldn't put his finger on it, not even as he joined the small family in watching television that evening. He couldn't name the strange feeling that made a fire burn inside him, and not the kind of fire he kindled for strength. It was a different kind of fire; one that warmed him in a way no flame ever could.

The first time he had felt the odd flame sputter inside him was when Jenna, overtaken by fatigue, had unknowingly flopped onto his shoulder while trying to stay awake. It sprouted somewhere in his stomach and quickly spread throughout him.

He lightly cleared his throat, and she picked her head up. "Oh….sorry…I guess….I guess I'm just going to go to bed then…" She stood up and left the room, holding her head a little. "Tomorrow's Monday, isn't it? Another school week starts."

"Did you finish the lesson plans for the kids?"

"I did, they're good to go. The kids are excited; we start the body next week, this week we're doing weather and family." She paused in the doorway. "Oop."

"What?"

"Where's Axel going to sleep?"

All three paused to think this over while Axel tried to blend in with the couch and failed miserably. It dawned on him that he could probably just sleep _there_, so he flopped over on the couch and lay there, hitting Joel with his head on the way down. "Mmm-mm. Comfy."

"No, Axel. You're not sleeping there." Jenna tapped her chin, thinking. "Joel's got a bunk bed, and he usually sleeps on top…"

"Yah! Roommates!" Joel cried out, wrapping a tiny arm around Axel's shoulders.

"Or my bed's big enough for the both of us as well…if he wanted to sleep with me…"

The odd fire started to sputter inside Axel again with a strange, fast rhythm. He could feel his cheeks start to burn. He wished he was wearing his old coat so he could hide in its hood.

"Then there's the fold-out bed downstairs, and…."

"Your bed's okay!" Axel suddenly blurted out. He clapped a hand to his mouth, regretting blurting that out.

"Oooh…eager….." Joel teased. Axel merely gulped, ridding himself of that pesky lump once again.

Jenna was leaning against the doorway, looking straight at Axel. Axel wanted the couch to come alive and swallow him whole. He sank a little lower, feeling as if his whole face were on fire.

"Well now…guess I'd better get some extra pillows for him then…" She smiled at him before she left the room.

Axel wished to protest, but once again found himself without a voice.

* * *

'_Go to sleep. Sleep. Sleep, damn you.' _Axel lay wide awake in Jenna's bed, Jenna herself already fast asleep. _'Sleep. You're tired. You can't keep your eyes open.'_

Oh, but he could keep them open. He would have growled at himself if the girl at his side wasn't out cold. Unlike her, he was wide awake. He couldn't help but sneak glances at her while she slept. He wondered what she was dreaming about.

He flipped over carefully so as not to disturb her and continued to watch her intently. She was facing him in her sleep; her brown hair had fallen loosely in front of her face. Moonlight peeked in through the blinds, highlighting her face.

A curious feeling stirred inside him. It felt so wrong to him, and at the same time it felt so right. He had never felt this way about anyone before. Why did it start now?

Carefully, very carefully he reached a hand over to brush her hair away from her face. He tucked the loose strands behind her ear, the fire inside him burning with increasing strength. A couple of fingers ran gently along her cheek.

"Axel….go to sleep………………" he heard her mumble.

The redhead quickly rolled back over, embarrassed. He was through for the night.

* * *

Joel had school the next day, and Jenna was gone earlier that morning, leaving just Axel and their mother in the house. By the time he had finally woken up, it was around nine-thirty. 

"Where's Jenna?" he asked before letting out a good yawn.

"She's at work. She teaches alongside her friend Aerith at one of the schools in Radiant Garden. They're all kindergarteners."

"She didn't tell me that. "

"You never asked."

He was silent for a moment. "Do you work, Mrs.…Mrs.…"

"Casara. You may call me Mom if you'd like, dear."

Mom. He never had a mom before.

"And yes, I do, just not today. I work in radiology at the hospital in the next town over, but they only call me in when they need me. That means I can do my shopping today." She patted his head. "And you can come with me."

"Jenna said we'd get clothes anyway, right?"

"Right. I'm sure you're very comfortable in all that, but I think you should have something more decent."

"Then I'll go shower, and we can leave." He started to head into the bathroom, but then stopped. "Wait…what am I going to wear?"

Roxas would have laughed at him then; it sounded so…un-Axel-like. If he was here with him, that is.

"Your coat from yesterday is dry, if you want that."

His Organization coat. Something swelled painfully in his chest. Would he really be able to wear that again? And around here, no less? With all those memories still fresh in his mind…

"No….I can't wear that anymore…"

"All right. I'll see if I can find something else for you to wear. Go take your shower."

Axel nodded before stepping back inside and undressing himself. He turned on the shower and immersed himself under the hot water.

He squirted a small bit of soap onto a washcloth, and then proceeded to wash himself with it. His tense muscles relaxed as he rubbed them with the warm cloth. He let out a low sigh, thinking.

He started to ponder while letting the water caress his body. He knew the Casara family was kind enough to allow him to stay here, but how long would he be welcome? Was it only a matter of time before he found himself back out on the street?

And Jenna…..

The fire started stuttering in his chest again. He raised a hand to his breast, yet felt not a single beat beneath his fingertips. But why did he feel it to begin with? What was this strange feeling?

'_L………..l…….lo…..'_

The name seemed to come from a secret spot in the back of his mind. He felt like he knew the word…somehow…someway…but he couldn't figure out what the word _was_ …

He rinsed the suds from his body and stepped out of the steaming shower.

* * *

It was sunnier outside than it was yesterday, but still relatively cool and crisp. This didn't seem to bother Axel too much, who chose to wear a black tank and blue jeans Mrs. Casara had found for him, along with the hooded jacket from the day before as he strolled to the marketplace with her. 

"So…do you want to look for clothes first and we'll shop for groceries last, or the other way around?"

Axel merely gave a shrug. It didn't really matter to him.

"Clothes first, then. That way I'm not walking around with spoiled food while we're shopping for you. Who knows how long that will take? You look like a very choosy guy."

Axel stuck out his tongue at her. "Am not."

They walked to one of the stands set up in the marketplace that was almost overflowing with clothes. Mrs. Casara stuck her head right in amongst the clothes on the racks, digging around for just the right color.

"Heh," Axel said with a light laugh, "who's choosy now?"

Mrs. Casara returned the tongue-flash Axel had given her earlier with a smile. "I'm a mom. I have a right to be choosy." She pulled out a long-sleeved shirt, which was a deep navy blue color. She held it up to him to get a rough idea of how it would look.

"I think you'd look very handsome in this," she told him. "Go try it on."

She showed him where several small stalls were so he could try on the shirt. "I'll find some more styles for you to try while you're in there, and want some pants too?"

"Pants would be nice, actually," he hollered from inside the stall while pulling off the shirt he was already wearing.

Five minutes later she draped a few pairs of pants over the door. "Here you are…try a pair of these with that navy blue shirt, just to see what they'd look like together. Then come out and show me."

A couple of seconds later Axel emerged from the stall, dressed in the navy shirt and a pair of black jeans. Mrs. Casara raised her eyebrows at him.

"Hmm, hmm. Look at that. Very dashing." She twirled her finger, telling him to do a little turn so she could see how they fit. "Very, very nice. That suits you perfectly. Jenna would love to see you in that."

Axel felt the heat on his face. "She….she would?"

"She sure would….well, look at you blushing. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were in love with her."

'_L…………Love? Is that the word?' _He blushed even harder.

* * *

"Hi, everyone, I'm home!" Jenna's voice called out that afternoon. She got no response, so she walked further into the house, passing by the living room. "Hello? Anyone here? Mom? Axel?" 

"Hello Jenna," Axel said appearing in the doorway suddenly, startling her. Their faces were merely inches apart from one another. Neither one was able to move from their position.

Axel was very thankful at that moment that he was without a heart; if he had one, it would have been racing a mile a minute against his ribs. That didn't exactly save his face from a heated blush.

Jenna's eyes scanned his frame. He was dressed in a navy blue shirt, the sleeves almost to his wrists, and black jeans. "New clothes?"

"Uh…" Axel started, snapping back to reality. "Uh…yeah. Yeah. Your mom and I went out earlier, and she insisted I get something new to wear. I think she bought maybe 2 weeks' worth of clothes." He spun a little. "Do you like it?"

"They fit you well." She rested her hands on his shoulders. "The shirt feels think your mom called it 'breathable'. I laughed so hard; I didn't think such a word existed."

"Oh, she tends to make words up on the spot of she can't find the right word to use. Oh, where is my mom anyway? She still can't be out, can she?"

"No, no. She's downstairs, moving laundry. And your brother went to a friend's house."

"Good. Peace and quiet." She went into the living room and flopped onto the couch. "Those kids…they can be so cute, but they wear you out so quickly."

"What did you do with them?" Axel asked her, leaning on the arm of the couch.

"We talked about friends and family today. Everyone had a story about their best friends, even Aerith. And then they asked me about my special friend."

"Who is that?"

"Well….I said it was you."

The warmth pulsed inside him again.

"Of course, they wanted to know all about you, but I couldn't tell them much because I only met you yesterday, so…now they want to see you in person."

"I'm flattered. Really," he said with a slight chuckle.

He slid down the arm and joined her on the couch. Once he had landed, she fell over onto him, exhausted. Axel gave her a smile and picked her legs up, allowing him to swing his own all the way onto the couch so the two were laying together. He allowed her to snuggle closer, laying on him. He gently stroked her hair, feeling her breathing start to even out.

"I was right," she said with a muffled voice.

"Hmmm?"

"Your shirt is very comfy." She snuggled into it to prove her point. She shut her eyes again, finally dozing off.

The heat bubbled up inside Axel, but he smiled again anyway. He liked how it felt. He knew it was right somehow. _'Love….That's the name for this feeling…love.'_

He shut his eyes and buried his face in her hair, and the two napped peacefully on the couch together.

* * *

There's the chap. Took longer to write this time around, feh. Might be a while before ch. 4 comes along…I'm still thinking about how I want to go along here. 

R&R, please!


	4. Confused

This shouldn't have taken so long. Bad, bad me. Finals, gah. Let's blame the finals.

Disclaimer: Should be well known by now…..don't make me repeat myself.

* * *

"So….if I wanted to go with you tomorrow because the kids are _dying _to see me, what do I have to do?" Jenna had woken up from her nap, and she and Axel were lying together on the couch, their feet crossed together. Axel's arms crossed her stomach, holding her gently. Her head was under his chin.

"Well, you'd have to get up early with me, and be at the school by quarter of eight. The kids come at eight on the dot."

"Ugh. Well…I could suck it up and take it like a man if I have to."

"Would you? They'd love it if you could come. And Aerith and I could use a third pair of hands."

"Sure. I'll go." Jenna flipped over and gave him a tight hug. The bubbling heat coursed through his whole body. Axel savored the feeling, now that he finally had a name for it: love. What confused him now was why and how he was able to feel it. He's a Nobody. He wasn't supposed to have any emotions or feelings at all. And last time he checked, love was an emotion.

He wondered if it had anything to do with the fact that he was no longer in The World That Never Was. Maybe now the spell the darkness had on him was starting to dwindle.

"Oh, thank you so much! The kids are going to be ecstatic that you're going to be there to play with them."

"Wait….play?"

"Well, yes. They have free play for the first hour when they get there to loosen up some and get used to the fact that school's starting, then there's recess, and we let them play until their parents pick them up at the end of the day around two. And we always use games in the classroom during lessons; they seem to learn better that way when something fun's involved."

"I've….never played….before…" he said rather sheepishly.

"They'll show you how. Don't worry about that."

"They won't laugh at me?"

"Why would kids laugh at you? Aerith and I play with them all the time. They change their games almost daily, so we have to be taught several times over again how a certain game works."

"Oh."

"There. There's nothing to worry about."

"I'll take your word for it, then." He tightened his hug, holding her. He liked how she felt in his arms. She wasn't too skinny, but she wasn't too fat either. She had teased him a couple times before, saying he was skinnier than her, and would often pinch his "child-bearing" hips.

"Ax….."

"Yeah?"

"Can you let me go?" She was trying to lift his arms off of her and sit up.

"I'm sorry." He quickly let her go and recoiled, drawing back as if she were about to strike. "I guess I got a little too cuddly, huh?"

She didn't answer him as she stood up and left the room, heading downstairs to see if her mother needed help with anything.

'_Smooth', _he scolded himself. _'You finally get close enough, and then you blow it out of the water. She finally decides to snuggle up to you, and you take it too far. Very, very smooth, Axel.'_

He growled a little as he fell backwards onto the couch. He had to remind himself he wasn't in the Castle anymore; get too angry and the couch -or the whole house- would go up in flames. But he wasn't angry at her; he was angry at himself. He wanted to tell her what seemed to be going on inside him, wanted to let her know how he "felt". He knew he was afraid, in a way. He didn't want to scare her. For all he knew, she could throw him out if she decided he was a sort of threat. Or if she thought he was a creep.

At the same time, though, he wondered if she would know why he seemed to feel the way he did. She seemed to know a lot about who he was; perhaps she'd know why all of this was going on.

Again his palm travelled to his chest. He still felt nothing, not even a flutter, below the skin. He heaved a sigh.

'_What the hell……'_ he wondered. _'Why is this happening to me?'

* * *

_

"You want me to do what now?" Mrs. Casara asked Axel a few moments later. Jenna had left to go pick up Joel from his friend's house before it got too dark.

"You're a nurse….you'd be able to tell if I had a heart, right?"

"Of course…come here, dear."

He moved just a bit closer and found two fingers pressing into the side of his neck. They stayed there for a few minutes, and then pulled away. "Nothing," she noted. She brought her ear to his chest to try and listen for any sign of a heartbeat. "Nothing," she said again. She patted his shoulder. "Sorry, dear."

"It's all right." Axel sighed again.

"Why did you ask me to do that? You know you're a Nobody. Nothing's changed since you got here."

"You're wrong. Something has changed." He leaned a little on the countertop. "When I got here….when I first met your daughter….I felt nothing. But when she cared for me when I was freezing like I was, I started…feeling…"

"How so?"

"Well, I've never been cared for before. I've never had someone there to make sure I was okay. But then I was Abandoned, and when Jenna took me in I felt loved. And now it's like I can love. But I'm not supposed to feel. I don't have a heart. I was wondering if maybe the darkness was losing its grip on me."

"Perhaps….or maybe it's like this." She took a piece of paper and drew two figures on it. She drew a heart on one of them. "Let's pretend the one with the heart is Jenna, and the one without one is you. You've been living in darkness for so long you've forgotten how to feel. Your heart is a void that longs to be filled. The only thing you know about emotions is that you don't have them."

Axel nodded to show he understood her thus far.

"Now, throw Jenna into the scene. She has a heart; emotions, feelings. You have contact with her, and she expresses these emotions to you. What happens is that while you yourself can't feel the same way back, some secret part of you remembers what it feels like to do so. That part of you wants to feel the same way about her, and this is what happens." She started to draw a heart inside of his figure, making a dotted outline. "Those memories are filling that void. That's why you feel like you can love her; you're remembering what it used to be like."

"Do you think then…I could get a heart that way?"

Mrs. Casara shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine, dear." She gently patted his hair before leaving the room.

* * *

Jenna seemed to have recovered from her "Axel got too snuggly with me" episode and was at least talking to him again later that afternoon, even though she kept herself at a distance from him. She did that later that night after dinner when they were watching a movie, when she chose not to join Axel and Joel on the couch.

Axel said nothing, deciding maybe it was best if they were apart for just a while. That did nothing to stop the slow pang of guilt that throbbed inside.

"Axel, are you sad?" Joel asked him, peeking at the saddened expression on the Nobody's face.

"Me..? No." _'Yes….' _He thought.

"You look sad, Axel. What's the matter?"

Jenna herself turned her attention to the matter at hand. Axel saw she was looking right at him and felt the tips of his ears redden. "It's nothing. I'm just….homesick, that's all."

'_You're a horrible liar' _Jenna thought. _'Something else is up.'_

Axel fell silent again, choosing to look at his lap instead of the television screen. Jenna stood up from the chair she was sitting in and slid next to him on the couch, while Joel jumped up and stole her seat.

"This isn't about what happened earlier, is it?" she asked him gently. When he nodded yes, she sighed. "Look…I didn't mean to react like that. I just wasn't expecting that from you, being heartless and all."

"I may not have a heart," he told her, "but I remember what it feels like to have one."

It was her turn to look down at her lap. "Axel…I'm sorry. Will you still go with me tomorrow to see the kids?"

He smiled. "Of course. We already went over that." He pondered for just a moment. "Now….how early do I have to get up…?"

It was her turn to grin. "You'll see tomorrow," she told him.

Axel did not like how that sounded. He refused to put his arm around her shoulder for the rest of the night.

* * *

Wowee that was a short one. I was going to have them go to the school in this chapter, but I changed my mind since I want that to be its own chapter/experience thing. And we'll finally see Aerith!

R&Rs are greatly appreciated!


	5. Cuddled

Finally…time for Aerith's debut into the story…and Axel's gonna get schooled...ish.

Disclaimer: Still don't have Axel with bondage….therefore I don't own KH.

* * *

Axel lay wide awake that night. He couldn't understand why he felt so jittery. _'They're just kids,' _he reminded himself. _'There's no need to be nervous.' _But tomorrow he'd be spending the whole day with a room full of them: an accident waiting to happen, he had decided earlier. Jenna had told him not to worry, and that they didn't bite. They could kick you in the shin, she had said, but they wouldn't bite. But that did nothing to reassure him.

He rolled over, glancing out the window with a sigh. The night was clear, the stars were bright, and the moon was full. To anyone else outside, it would have made for a beautiful moonlit stroll. But this is Axel we're talking about. He didn't quite do the moonlight path thing. _'Woo-hoo,' _he thought. _'Big frickin' deal.'_

Something snaked over his waist, making him jump. He peered over to see it was just Jenna's arm, and shortly afterward the rest of her followed, seeking warmth from the Flurry's body.

'_Don't panic…don't panic….don't panic…,'_ he mentally coached himself repeatedly, trying to calm the rest of him. He gulped, butterflies in his stomach as he felt her snuggle into his side once more.

He flipped back over to look at her. To him, she looked angelic as she slept so peacefully, lost in her own fantasy world of her dreams. She let out a small sigh, snuggling into her pillow a little more. Then she flipped over, laying on her back, head turned away from him.

'_My turn,' _he thought, snuggling closer to her carefully, so as not to wake her. He carefully draped his arm across her waist, bringing his body closer to hers, keeping her warm. He channeled his fiery energy into his arms to keep the heat constant.

He settled down near her again, shutting his eyes. He brought his ear to her chest as he drew close, listening to the gentle thump of her heart.

He smiled. _'Someday,' _he thought. _'Someday I'll have one too.' _

Jenna flipped over again, her arms wrapping around his head, her hands burying themselves in his hair. She brought her body closer again.

Axel would have growled if she wasn't asleep. She was going to squeeze the life out of his head if she didn't let go. He tried to turn his head even just a little bit, but couldn't. It was like a vice had clamped itself on his skull.

'_I give up.' _He shut his eyes again, and then fell asleep not long afterward. Nearly a minute later Jenna let go of his head, still deep in sleep.

* * *

"Axel…time to wake up…." Jenna said the following morning, gently shaking him. "You need to get ready to go to the school with me."

"Muh huh muh hun nuh…." Axel mumbled into his pillow.

"I speak English, Axel."

"But I dun want to…." He said again.

"Axel, you promised me. Up." She quickly pulled the covers off the bed, and he let out a startled yelp when he noticed he wasn't as warm as he had been a second ago. His eyes flew open and he saw a fully dressed Jenna standing there.

He yawned so widely Jenna swore she could have fit her whole head in his mouth. "Wha time izz it…?"

"Just about seven…if you run through the shower I'll make us both something to eat. I'd like to be out of here by quarter of eight."

When she got a blank stare from Axel she corrected herself by saying "That means seven forty-five."

Axel let out a grumble before finally swinging his legs over the side of the bed, running a hand through his hair. "Ahhmmmm up….ahhm up…." He yawned again, then stood up and lightly padded out of the room and into the washroom.

Jenna shook her head and lightly laughed. "Not much of a morning person, are you?" she chuckled after he shut the door. She started to work on their breakfast, slicing up some fruit.

Axel emerged from the shower some ten minutes later, and Jenna almost started laughing at him when she saw him. She took one look at his fire-engine red…"Oh my goodness….its…"

"Yeah, yeah. I know. It's flat." He retreated down the hall to dress, nothing more than a towel around his waist, shaking his head feverishly trying to get the hair to spike.

"Don't you use gel?"

"Nah…it's completely natural. It's just gotta dry first. Then I just stick my thumb in a socket, and…."

"Axel."

He laughed again, ducking into the bedroom to finish dressing. He chose to wear blue jeans and a warm sweater, already picking out a scarf to wear while walking. He strolled back out and took a seat at the table, where a hot breakfast and coffee were waiting for him.

Jenna joined him while he started to dig in, his appetite finally kicking into gear.

"Axel…did you cuddle me last night? I'm sure I felt you."

Axel almost choked on his last bite. He swallowed hard. "What…?" he asked hoarsely.

"Did you snuggle me last night?"

'_Quick…excuse….quick!' _"No." He thought for a moment. "Did you cuddle me?"

"I did, for a little while. I was cold. You're a fire element, so…yeah."

"I see." He felt heat rise to his cheeks as he finally admitted "Well, I did kinda cuddle back…tried to keep you warm and all…"

"Ah. So we're both guilty, and we've both confessed." She sipped her coffee. "I guess we're even."

"Yeah. We're even." He took another bite of his breakfast, glancing out of the window as snow started to fall. "Ugh…that's worse than rain…"

Jenna followed his gaze. "Not quite. But that's nice…I love it when it snows. Last year we barely got anything. No snow. Not even rain. I saw grass on the ground."

Axel sipped down the last of his coffee, stood up, and went to get a pair of boots. "I just can't stand anything cold…comes with being a fire element, you know." He slipped on the left boot first. "Do we really have to walk in that?"

"Yes, Axel, it's not that far. It won't even take us ten minutes. Now, get a coat."

Axel looked at the sweater he was wearing. "This isn't enough? I'll sweat buckets if I wear anything heavier."

"You've been out there before, Axel, and you almost froze to death wearing that trench coat. If you'd learned anything from that, it's to dress a little warmer than what you are wearing at the moment."

Axel's whole body gave a violent shiver as he remembered walking down those rain-soaked streets the first day after he was Abandoned. He did remember how cold he was – and how cold everyone else was to him.

"At least wear a jacket…just something as another layer. Then we'll be ready to go."

"All right." Axel found himself a black hooded jacket and immediately shoved his hands in the pockets before walking out the door with her.

* * *

Their stroll together was a pleasant one; although Jenna would tease Axel by clamping her hands over her ears whenever he said it was "too damn cold out here."

"Get your cursing out of the way now," she told him, "for there will be none of it once we get there."

"Yes, ma'am." Axel pulled his coat's hood over his face and started shouting muffled curses into it. Jenna tried not to laugh at him, but she failed miserably and several giggles were heard.

Axel took his hood off. "Are you laughing at me?" He smirked playfully.

"Just a little…well, here we are." They stopped in front of a small brick building; Axel guessed this was the school. "There's one other kindergarten class besides the one Aerith and I teach, and two first-grade classes and a playschool group. It's a bit of a tight fit."

"Have you tried moving to a bigger place?" Axel asked her.

"We did, but there's nowhere else to go, you know what I mean? Beggars can't be choosers; you get what you can get."

"I guess so…." Axel's whole body shivered. "Can we go inside? I'm going to freeze my as….butt off."

The laugh escaped Jenna's lips before she had a chance to stop it. "I heard that….all right, come on." She took out a card and held it up a black box next to the door. The door buzzed, then clicked, and she was able to pull it open. Axel dashed inside and shook himself free of the snow.

"Cold…cold…I hate cold…." he whined.

"Looks like I got here before Aerith did…that almost never happens," Jenna noted as she opened the classroom door and turned the lights on. "She's usually here before me."

"Maybe school was canceled because of the snow?" Axel pondered, hanging his coat up.

"No…otherwise there would be a note on the door and I wouldn't have been able to get in."

"Maybe she's running late, then."

"I am….sorry," another voice said coming down the hall. Axel saw a brunette dash into the room, her hair pulled back into a long braid that about reached her waist. "I was a little snowed in this morning…"

"Aerith…this is Axel…He's a good friend of mine. He wanted to come in and help us today."

Aerith looked the redhead over. "Hmm…I don't know…he looks like he'd scare the children…"

"No, no…he's really nice. I don't think he'd hurt them or scare them. Give him a chance. If he slips up, I promise I'll never bring him back."

"Well…we do need an extra set of hands…fine." Aerith patted Axel's shoulder. "Welcome aboard."

Axel gave her an earnest smile. "Thank you. Now, what should I do first?"

"Well, you could start by getting some of the larger toys set up. Some of the children usually show up right about now, so it'd be nice to have things ready for them."

"Sure, I can do that." He dragged out a large plastic easel and clipped large sheets of paper on both sides of it, ready for painting. He found a small cart full of wooden blocks and wheeled that over to another corner of the room.

While he worked, he could overhear Aerith and Jenna whispering amongst themselves about him. He continued setting things up, being extra careful not to make it look like he was indeed eavesdropping.

"Where did you find him?" Aerith asked.

"Actually, he found me. Remember the freezing rain storm we had a couple of nights ago? He was wandering around looking for a roof to hide under to get out of the downpour, and he ducked right under the awning by my garage and curled up in the corner."

"And you took him in like that?"

"I felt like I had to. I would never have known that he was there if my younger brother hadn't shouted out that he saw some guy in black come up our driveway. And it's a good thing he did, because when I found Axel out there he was freezing to death. He could have caught his death out there; I was afraid of hypothermia at this point."

"Still, isn't he one of the Organization's bunch? He's their assassin. He could try to pull something off on you. Heck, he could kill you."

Axel gulped as quietly as he could.

"Now why would he do that? He told me he was Abandoned by his Superior. As far as I know, that means he doesn't have to follow their orders or do anything for them anymore. He doesn't 'work' for them, per se. He's pretty much a free man."

"I still don't trust him. He could strike when you least expect it."

"Well, I'm still standing here, aren't I?" She brought her palm to her face. "God, Aerith, sometimes you're just like my mother. She said the same thing the first night he was there."

"Pardon me for being concerned about my best friend's safety."

"I know, I know. I'm sorry, Aerith. I just wish people would give him a chance before snubbing him because of a past life."

"You're right," The brunet sighed. "I'm sorry about that, Axel."

"Eh, don't worry about it," he grinned. "I guess it's something I'm going to have to get used to…"

"Stop it." Jenna swatted him playfully, and he let out a chuckle. "You're supposed to think positively. You know, the glass is half full. That kind of stuff."

"Again with the water? I swear you want to kill me or something."

"Miss Casara? Who's that with the easel?" a small voice asked. Axel turned to see a small child standing in the doorway, staring right at him with large brown eyes.

"This is your new friend Axel. Do you remember when I talked about my special friend yesterday, Shale?"

The small boy nodded.

"Well, this is him. He came in to play with you guys today. Now, go hang up your coat and backpack and you can show him how to paint on the easel."

"Okay." The boy did as he was told, then joined the redhead on the floor. He held up his right hand to Axel.

Axel looked at it, confused. "Uh….."

"High five!" Shale said cheerfully.

"Oh. Oh, uh…okay." He returned the high five as gently as he could muster. Last thing he wanted to do right now was hurt a child.

Shale let out a giggle as he scampered off and came back with a pair of smocks. "One for you, one for me." He put his own on, and then turned around. "Can you help me tie it?"

"Sure." He tied it tightly enough so it wouldn't slip off, and then Axel put on his own and realized how short it was on him. "Whoa."

"What's wrong?"

Axel looked down at the short smock. "It's a bib." He tugged on the corners to prove his point.

Shale started to laugh as he painted. "You're funny, Axel. I like you."

'_Hopefully the rest will, too' _Axel thought.

* * *

Dumb cliffhanger, I know. It's just for now so I can get an idea for where I want to take this next. I think I've got one, I don't know if I want to go through with it.

R and see you next time!


	6. Delighted

Sorry for the unforgivable slowness of this story…I recently resurrected an older story of mine and kinda just lay off of writing for a while. I hate to do that, too. So here we go.

At least I uploaded this chap in time for Vale-I mean Singles Awareness Day. For those of us who weren't showered with flowers or candy today, I give you this. Hopefully it's sweeter than chocolate. Or comes close.

**Disclaimer**: If Squeenix is making more games, I think that means that I still don't own Kingdom Hearts. Actually, that's not doing much for my case…is it…?

* * *

The redhead clunked his forehead against the desk and let out an exhausted sigh. God, kids were a handful to keep an eye on. Jenna hadn't exactly warned him just how much a handful they were.

It's not that he wasn't enjoying it: he'd made more friends in a matter of minutes than he ever had in his entire…existence. Yeah. That. Because he didn't exactly call being a Nobody a 'life'.

First there was Shale, the first boy he had met and the first to arrive that day. Once he'd gotten to know Axel, he made sure the other kids knew he was "a good guy".

Then there was shy little Tanya, who Axel had missed at first because she was so quiet. She liked to hide, and was afraid to ask the other children if they wanted to play. So it was Axel who joined her in drawing with crayons, and chatted with her to make her feel a little more comfortable. And when she tripped on the rug and fell, it was Axel who gave her a cuddle to calm her down. Now whenever she looked at the redhead, a bright blush would glow on her cheeks.

'_Great'_, Axel thought, _'she's four years old and already has a crush on me…'_

The rest of the class each had their own personalities that Axel could pick out blindfolded if he wanted to. Every one of them was so unique, they added their own sort of color splash to the classroom.

But right now Axel was trying to figure out how eight preschoolers managed to sap him of all his energy this early in the day. He couldn't remember a day when he was this tired while he was still in the Organization.

Every now and then, when he got a chance, he'd shoot Jenna a glance that pretty much said "I hate you SO much right now". It made her laugh: not quite the effect he had wanted. But her laugh did send a shiver down his spine.

At this point in time the kids were taking their naps, leaving the two teachers and the Nobody to quietly putter around the room, picking up stray toys that had been scattered. Axel took great care to leave the stuffed Moogles and teddy bears the children kept on their mats alone. Kingdom Hearts forbid one of them should wake up and find Mr. Snuggles was missing. Axel really didn't want to face the fiery wrath of a four-year old. That could be dangerous.

When the room was finally tidied up, Axel and Jenna rested on the large desk at the front of the room, leaning on it. Axel heaved yet another sigh, his energy gone yet again.

"Hanging in there, Fire Boy?" Jenna teased.

"Barely…" Axel whined. "You didn't tell me school was going to be this rough…"

"Was I supposed to?"

Axel was silent, then "No…" He paused again. "It would have been nice, though."

Aerith came back into the room munching an orange and was carrying two more. "You wouldn't lose so much energy if you stopped whining and ate this," she said with a grin.

Axel smirked, taking the offered fruit. "It had better work. I'm holding you to it."

Jenna just chuckled to herself, peeling her own orange. Just then, they heard a strange buzzing noise coming from the back of the room.

Aerith's hand rose to her mouth. "Shoot…that's probably mine…will you two be fine for a while so I can check it out?"

"Go on ahead, we'll be fine" Jenna told her. "You've left me on my own with them more than once."

Aerith nodded her thanks, and then dashed outside with her bag to take the call, leaving Jenna and Axel alone in a room with eight sleeping preschoolers. Which translated to Axel was that there was no one else around.

"Hey….Jenna?" he started, moving just a bit closer on the desk. His face felt like it was on fire. Well, more on fire than it usually was, anyway.

"What is it?"

"I….I wanted…while we had a chance…..I wanted…to...to, uh….to tell you that…"

"Tell me what?"

"Well…um…it's hard to say…but…"

But before Axel could finish there was the sound of one of the preschoolers first starting to wake up. Naptime was over. And Aerith still wasn't back yet.

Jenna got off of the desk. "It's Showtime," she said.

Axel didn't bother holding back a hiss.

* * *

Oddly enough, directly after naptime was, of all things, P.E. Axel thought it should be the other way around, but Aerith explained it was better for them to burn off this energy now before their parents came to pick the up in another hour.

The class started with a few laps around the gym, and Axel did his very best not to laugh at the wriggling kids "running". Tanya herself had decided skipping was a little faster than just running, and was the only one who seemed to think so.

When the kids had done three laps, Jenna gathered them into the center to do some stretches with them. She managed to drag Axel into the routine too, so he soon found himself doing jumping jacks, arm rotations, and other starches along with them. He managed to bring out many a giggle while making faces or letting out yelps when something didn't stretch quite right.

The highlight of the class was a large parachute they all held on to. Aerith tossed foam balls into the center of it, and then told the kids to start shaking the parachute as hard as they could to get them to bounce inside it. Axel later learned the game was called "popcorn". He'd never heard of anything like it in his li-Existence.

After playing "popcorn" they fanned the parachute up and down, until they got it high enough to get underneath it and played a different game. In this game, Aerith explained, one of the teachers would tell everyone wearing some kind of clothing, or had a certain hair color, or had a name starting with a certain letter would have to trade places with the person across from them while the parachute was in the air. If they didn't make it in time, they were "caught" under the parachute. Oh, and the teachers would be running around too.

Axel lost count of how many times he was caught. Nevertheless, he found it just hysterical when suddenly it was dark around him and eight squirming bodies and a parachute were on top of him.

"Help! Lemme out! I'm scared of the dark! Mom!" Axel would cry, making the kids laugh even more. Only after much more whining did they actually get up off of him to let him out, but he didn't get far before he was attacked by a large group hug.

Only once did both Jenna and Axel get trapped under the parachute together, and that made him nervous. Here he was, in the dark, and she was practically on top of him. He was so thankful he didn't have a heart right now….

And then there was light. The parachute was gone, leaving Axel and Jenna lying on the gym floor, staring up at the kids.

Axel grinned. "Hi there."

Jenna tried to say something herself, but whatever she had tried to say got muffled by Axel's fluffy red hair. She tickled him under the arm to get him to move, making him yelp and roll away, getting more laughter from the kids.

"It's time to pack up and go home," she announced, now that her mouth wasn't full of Axel hair.

Not surprisingly, the kids groaned.

"Not now!" whined Shale.

"Just a little while longer?" begged Carlisle.

"I want to stay with Axel," Tanya said quietly.

"Now now, Axel's going to come back, you can be sure of that. I think he had too much fun with you today to decide not to," Jenna told them.

"She's right. Of course I'll be coming back. I think I've burned more calories today running after you guys than I ever have in my whole life. You make a great workout plan." More giggling ensued.

"Now go back with Aerith and gather your backpacks and things, your parents will be here soon."

Axel hugged each child goodbye, and then watched them file out of the gym behind Aerith. He sighed. "Those kids were just great."

"You know they'll never leave you alone now that you've told them you'll keep coming back."

"I know. But that's just fine by me." He started picking up the parachute and foam balls.

"Wait…don't you want to come see them off?"

"I'd better just stay here and clean up. You, Aerith, and the kids all warmed up to me nicely." He sighed. "Mom and Dad, well…they might not." He shook his head sadly. "Remember, to everyone else I'm still…The Organization's Assassin."

Jenna nodded and very hesitantly left him. She understood completely. She knew what it felt like to think you don't belong.

* * *

After Aerith had locked up the school and they had parted ways, Jenna and Axel started walking back home together. The snow from that morning had long since stopped, leaving all the trees and houses covered in a white blanket of snow.

"It's so pretty…" said Jenna.

"It's so COLD!" yelped Axel, burying himself in his coat.

"You are such a whiny baby. You're fiery, you'll be fine." She poked his belly. "See? The furnace is on."

She doubted that he heard her, for he had zipped his coat well over his face, trying to stay warm. A few stray spikes of hair poked out the top.

She shook her head with a laugh. "Too bad you can't see where you're going. But when you crash into a tree, it won't be my fault."

That got him to stop. He unzipped his coat enough for him to pull his head back out. The chilly air nipped at his cheeks.

They started to walk again when Jenna remembered something. "Oh, yeah, Axel?"

"Eh?"

"What were you going to tell me earlier, when the kids were taking their naps? You never did finish that."

"Oh yeah…that." Axel stopped again, trying to regain his composure. He took a deep breath, feeling nervous. "Well…what I wanted to say was…well…"

"Yes? It's okay, Axel. Just tell me."

He gulped, feeing fire rushing all over him. He hoped his cheeks weren't turning the same shade as his hair. "Well…I just wanted to say that no one has ever cared so much about me before, and, well…I'm really thankful that you happened to be the one to finally do that for me."

"Well, I wasn't about to let you just freeze out there."

"And I'm glad you didn't. But…it's just dawned on me that I've never truly thanked you for doing so. And at the same time, something else kind of happened to me after I got my strength back."

"Oh? What?"

"Well….I…I kinda..." Axel's face felt hot, and something weird was wiggling in his stomach.

"Axel? You okay? You look flushed…" She put a hand on his forehead, checking for a fever.

"I'm…I'm fine. I just…"

"Just what?" she asked, taking her hand away.

'_I just give UP,' _he thought before shutting his eyes and coming in close. His hands found her shoulders, and his lips finally found hers. When he finally felt them, something in his chest purred. At last.

He eventually pulled away and opened his eyes again, looking at her. Her cheeks were tinged with a blush; he hoped it wasn't because of the cold.

"That…that was it?" she asked after she finally remembered to breathe.

"Yeah…yeah…"Axel took a breath himself and turned away, shy. "That was it."

There was a beat of silence, and then Jenna surprised him by coming in close again.

"Hey Axel?"

He looked at her, nervous.

She smiled, reassuring him everything was fine. "Could you do that again? I'm still cold."

He returned the smile. "Of course," he said, taking her into his arms again.

* * *

There you go. Oh yeah, the "It's Showtime" thing? That was my Valentines treat to myself; remind myself of my cheesy childhood by watching the old cartoon show Beetlejuice. Thought I'd share what kind of multitasking goes on while I write.

I hope you enjoyed this; I was trying to figure out a good way to get them hooked up. Oh, and Vexen? He'll show up soon enough.

R&R, please.


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